Eric Church will release his fourth studio album, The Outsiders, on February 11, 2014. The album is the follow up to his CMA and ACM Album of the year, Chief, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies. Eric shared the news exclusively with the Associated Press’ Chris Talbott, revealing that he’s nervous about sharing new songs with his fans.

“I’m interested to see what people think about them,” he said. “I always say the songs are mine till the moment we release them, then they’re the fans’ [songs]. I’m very anxious. I have a lot of anxiety to see what people think about what we’ve done.”

“Some of the most striking moments would seem odd to your local program director,” Talbott says of the album. “There’s a dark trilogy, for instance, that includes a dramatic recitation of the Shel Silverstein poem ‘The Devil and Billy Markham.’ ‘Roller Coaster Ride’ actually feels just like one. And album-closer, ‘The Joint,’ is an oddly affecting cross of Tom Waits and J.J. Cale.”

Fans can now pre-order an exclusive album bundle directly from ericchurch.com which contains The Outsiders physical album and exclusive merchandise, including a t-shirt, sticker and/or a leather cuff bracelet. The album was once again produced by Eric’s longtime collaborator, Jay Joyce.

Eric will perform “The Outsiders” during The 47th Annual CMA Awards which air live on ABC at 8/7c on November 6. The song is an ode to the manner in which Erich and his fans built his career, banding together as an inclusive group fighting to have his music heard. Eric is nominated for two CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan for “That’s The Only Way I Know.”

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